scholarly journals GRAZING EFFECTS ON PASTURE AND ANIMAL PRODUCTION FROM OVERSOWN TUSSOCK GRASSLAND

1985 ◽  
pp. 119-125
Author(s):  
B.E. Allan
Keyword(s):  
Strong Interaction ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Tussock Grassland ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Stocking Rates

Continuous stocking was compared with intermittent (two paddock) and rotational (six paddock) grazing at low, medium and high stocking rates equivalent to 1.0x, 1.5x and 2.0x conventional rates for oversown tussock country (500 mm annual rainfall). 'By the sixth year liveweight gain/ha from Merino wether hoggets was improved 26% by intermittent and rotational grazing at medium stocking rates from that at conventional stocking rates. A strong interaction was demonstrated, with advantage in liveweight gain from intermittent and rotational grazing strengthening with increasing stocking rate. Total vegetative cover (75.8%) remained unchanged. Cocksfoot increased under low stocking while ryegrass increased under high stocking. A 60% overall loss in ryegrass during 1982 was attributed to unusually low winter soil temperatures. White clover cover was affected more b y climate than by grazing. A!!hough ?here *were interim differences, herbage production by the sixth year was similar for all treatments. Keywords: Tussock country, oversown, grazing, stocking rate, subdivision, pasture development, utilisation, Merino, liveweight.

Effect of superphosphate, white clover and stocking rate on the productivity of natural pastures, Northern Tablelands, New South Wales

1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (79) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
GG Robinson ◽  
A Lazenby
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
New South ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
First Year ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Species Frequency ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Different Levels

The species frequency, pasture availability and animal production on natural pastures oversown with white clover were examined over the five year period 1968-73. Superphosphate was applied annually at different levels (0, 250 and 500 kg ha-1) and the plots were grazed continuously at two stocking rates (7.8 and 15.6 wethers ha-1). An increase in the frequency of white clover (Trifolium repens) and a decrease in bare ground, Panicum spp-Eragrostis spp. and Sporobolus elongatus (in the case of the latter two the effect was particularly evident at the low stocking rate) followed the application of superphosphate. Increasing stocking rate resulted in a reduction in white clover and an increase in the frequency of Panicum spp.-Eragrostis spp. and bare ground. Pasture availability and animal production were increased by superphosphate. Apart from the first year, when the season was unusually dry, supplementary feeding was minimal on all topdressed treatments but was essential at the high stocking rate where no superphosphate was applied. Over the five year period animals on the pastures receiving superphosphate averaged 15 per cent heavier and gave 18 per cent more wool than those that were unfertilized. Wool production at the high stocking rate averaged 17.8 kg ha-1 (49 per cent) more than that from the low stocking rate.

SGS Pasture Theme: effect of climate, soil factors and management onpasture production and stability across the high rainfall zone of southern Australia

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 945 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sanford ◽  
B. R. Cullen ◽  
P. M. Dowling ◽  
D. F. Chapman ◽  
D. L. Garden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Soil P ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
Stocking Rates

The Sustainable Grazing Systems (SGS) National Experiment (NE) Pasture Theme explored factors that influenced annual herbage accumulation and perennial grass and legume content across the NE sites, in the high rainfall zone (HRZ, >600 mm/year annual rainfall) of southern Australia using multi-variate analysis and the SGS Pasture Model. Annual rainfall was a poor predictor of annual herbage accumulation. The length of growing season accounted for 30% of the variation in annual herbage accumulation. Much of the remaining 70% of variation in annual herbage accumulation was explained by soil Olsen P, the proportion of native species in the pasture and stocking rate, together with interactions among other factors including legume content. Simulated effects of set stocking and rotational grazing on herbage accumulation using the SGS Pasture Model, predicted that rotational grazing was unlikely to result in large increases in herbage accumulation. In contrast, it was predicted that the adoption of deep-rooted C3 and C4 perennial grasses could provide useful increases in herbage accumulation. Perennial grass content and basal cover were both significantly influenced by growing season length (P<0.001), grazing method (P<0.001) and an interaction between stocking rate and soil pH (P = 0.002). These analyses suggested that to maintain or improve the perennial grass component of a pasture at medium–high stocking rates, it was crucial to adopt grazing strategies that included rotation or resting. Perennial grass percent also significantly (P<0.001) increased in response to ameliorating the soil pH. Legume content of pastures significantly (P<0.001) increased in response to set stocking and increased stocking rate.To be botanically stable and productive, sown pastures based on perennial grasses in the HRZ of southern Australia will need to be grazed at high stocking rates (15–23 DSE/ha) in combination with rotational grazing or resting, and with adequate soil P. Additional gains in production and stability could be obtained by ensuring an adequate legume component, including a C4 perennial grass and ameliorating soil acidity. Pastures based on native perennial grasses may require lower soil P and more conservative stocking rates, depending on species.

scholarly journals BEEF PRODUCTION FROM LUCERNE AND LUCERNE/PRAIRIE GRASS SWARDS ON THE PUMICE SOILS OF THE TAUPO REGION

1977 ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
K. Marsh ◽  
L.F.C. Brunswick
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Prairie Grass ◽  
Grazing Period ◽  
Stocking Rates

Lucerne and lucerne/prairie grass swards were compared at three stocking rates using yearling beef cattle. A 35 day rotational grazing system was used and the experiment ran for 130 days from early October, 1976. Pasture DM yields were higher on the mixed sward but animal production was greater on the lucerne only sward, particularly from December onwards. Increasing stocking rate tended to reduce herbage DM yield and per-animal production. There was no significant interaction between sward type and stocking rate on either sward or animal yield. Lucerne and lucerne/ prairie grass swards on pumice soil compared favourably with fertile Waikato permanent pastures in terms of carcass gain per hectare over the grazing period.

The design and interpretation of experiments to study animal production from grazed pasture

1968 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Owen ◽  
W. J. Ridgman
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Pasture Productivity

SUMMARYExperiments designed to assess differences between treatments in pasture productivity as measured by the production of animals are complicated by the stocking rates chosen. The paper attempts toderive a simple model relating production per animal and production per unit area to stocking rate for meat animals, based on biological considerations.A method is proposed which would allow meaningful grazing experiments to be carried out employing only one stocking rate, thus considerably reducing the expense of this type of experimentation.The model is applied to some recent data obtained by Hodgson (1966) and Appleton (1967, personal communication).

The inter-relationships of grazing method and stocking rate in the efficiency of pasture utilization by dairy cattle

1963 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. McMeekan ◽  
M. J. Walshe
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Vanishing Point ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Stocking Rates

1. A large-scale grazing management study comparing rotational grazing and continuous grazing with dairy cows at two stocking rates over four complete production seasons is described.2. The four treatments were: (i) controlled grazing, light stocking rate; (ii) controlled grazing, heavy stocking rate; (iii) uncontrolled grazing, light stocking rate; (iv) uncontrolled grazing, heavy stocking rate.Each treatment involved 40 cows for a first 2-year phase and 42 cows for the following 2 years. Each herd had a normal age distribution pattern and seven 2-year-old first lactation heifers (17% of total herd) were introduced each year to maintain this pattern.3. Stocking rate was the more important factor affecting the efficiency of pasture utilization as measured by per acre output of milk and butterfat. In general, high stocking was associated with higher outputs per acre despite lower yields per animal.4. Grazing method was of less importance. In general, controlled rotational grazing was superior to uncontrolled continuous grazing, both per animal and per acre, but the average influence even of these extremes of management was only half that of stocking rate.5. Significant interactions between stocking rate and grazing method existed. Under continuous grazing a point was reached where production per acre declined to the vanishing point with increased stocking rate due to excessive depression of per cow yield: this point was not reached under rotational grazing at the same high stocking levels.6. The results suggest that optimum stocking rate under rotational grazing occurs at a level some 5–10% higher than under continuous grazing. A depression of 10–12% in per cow yield, compared with more lenient grazing, corresponds with optimum stocking level irrespective of the grazing system. This estimate is suggested as a guide line in applying the principles involved.

Herbage and animal production from native pastures and pastures oversown with Stylosanthes hamata. 1. Fertiliser and stocking rate effects

1993 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Gardener ◽  
MR McCaskill ◽  
JG McIvor
Keyword(s):  
Animal Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Heteropogon Contortus ◽  
Stylosanthes Hamata ◽  
Stylosanthes Humilis ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Utilisation Rate ◽  
Native Pastures ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Stocking Rates

Native pastures dominated by Heteropogon contortus (speargrass) were sown to Stylosanthes hanzata cv. Verano in 1972, and herbage production and steer growth rates were compared with those of native pastures from 1973 to 1985. The native pastures also contained naturalised Stylosanthes humilis, but its contribution to pasture yield diminished rapidly, after infection by Colletotrichum gloeospoirioides (anthracnose) in 1973. The experiment was a factorial design of 2 pasture types (native, native plus Verano) x 2 stocking rates (0.6, 1.2 steers/ha) x 2 superphosphate treatments (nil, 300 kg/ha.year) x 2 replicates. Fertiliser application decreased the proportion of legume but had no significant effect on herbage or animal production on this comparatively fertile site (extractable P, 18 mg/kg). Annual liveweight gains at the high and low stocking rates, respectively, on the native pasture averaged 100 and 120 kg/steer. Sowing to Verano did not affect herbage yields but increased annual liveweight gains by 28 and 36 kg/steer at low and high stocking rates. The high stocking rate of 1.2 steers/ha was sustainable for the first 9 years of the experiment, when above-average rainfall was received. However, in the following 3 below-average years, there was a shift to less-desirable species, and a decline in pasture productivity. Relative to the low stocking rate, herbage production on the native pasture in the final season was reduced by 60% and on the Verano pasture by 26%. The highest annual herbage utilisation rate that appeared sustainable in the long term was about 45%, which corresponded to a utilisation rate of 30% during the growing season (about November-May). When oversown with Verano, speargrass tended to decline in favour of annual grasses, weeds, and the introduced grass Urochloa mosanzhicensis, which had been sown on an adjacent experiment. Urochloa appeared to be a more suitable companion species than speargrass for Verano.

An evaluation of cereal stubbles for sheep production

1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 881 ◽  
Author(s):  
JG Mulholland ◽  
JB Coombe ◽  
M Freer ◽  
WR McManus
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Green Plant ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Mineral Supplement ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Sheep Production ◽  
One Year ◽  
Cereal Residues ◽  
Stocking Rates

The production of young crossbred wethers grazing oat, barley and wheat stubbles was measured in each of three years at stocking rates ranging from 15 to 30/ha. In one year, production on 'weedy' stubbles was compared with that of 'clean' (weed-free) stubbles, and also the effect of a wheat–urea–mineral supplement on the production of sheep was measured on oat stubble. Liveweight change and wool production were significantly influenced by the availability of green plant material and by stocking rate, but not by supplementation. The maximum liveweight loss in any year was 7.5 kg and the maximum gain 6.0 kg, both recorded over 11 weeks' grazing. Mean daily clean wool production was 9.9 g/sheep at the lower stocking rate and 6.6 g/sheep at the higher rate, but production per hectare was 10–60% higher at the heavier stocking rate. The ranking of the crop stubbles with respect to animal production was not consistent from year to year. Intense selection for green plant material by sheep resulted in the proportion of green in the diet being nearly always greater than 80%, when the weight of this material on the plots was more than 40 kg dry matter/ha. It appeared that a low intake of nitrogen was not the main limitation to animal production. A maximum of only 36% of the crop residue which disappeared during the experiment could be accounted for as animal intake. Thus it is unlikely that the potential of cereal residues as a source of food for animal production will be realized with grazing sheep.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal effects of grazing management and rainfall on the vertebrate fauna of a tropical savanna

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Kutt ◽  
E. P. Vanderduys ◽  
P. O'Reagain
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Generalised Linear Modelling ◽  
Stocking Rates

Grazing by domestic livestock is one of the most widespread uses of the rangelands of Australia. There is limited information on the effects of grazing by domestic livestock on the vertebrate fauna of Australia and the establishment of a long-term grazing experiment in north-eastern Queensland at Wambiana provided an opportunity to attempt an examination of the changes in vertebrate fauna as a consequence of the manipulation of stocking rates. The aim was to identify what the relative effects of vegetation type, stocking rate and other landscape-scale environmental factors were on the patterns recorded. Sixteen 1-ha sites were established within three replicated treatments (moderate, heavy and variable stocking rates). The sites were sampled in the wet and dry seasons in 1999–2000 (T0) and again in 2003–04 (T1). All paddocks of the treatments were burnt in 1999. Average annual rainfall declined markedly between the two sampling periods, which made interpretation of the data difficult. A total of 127 species of vertebrate fauna comprising five amphibian, 83 bird, 27 reptile and 12 mammal species were recorded. There was strong separation in faunal composition from T0 to T1 although changes in mean compositional dissimilarity between the grazing stocking rate treatments were less well defined. There was a relative change in abundance of 24 bird, four mammal and five reptile species from T0 to T1. The generalised linear modelling identified that, in the T1 data, there was significant variation in the abundance of 16 species explained by the grazing and vegetation factors. This study demonstrated that vertebrate fauna assemblage did change and that these changes were attributable to the interplay between the stocking rates, the vegetation types on the sites surveyed, the burning of the experimental paddocks and the decrease in rainfall over the course of the two surveys. It is recommended that the experiment is sampled again but that the focus should be on a rapid survey of abundant taxa (i.e. birds and reptiles) to allow an increase in the frequency of sampling and replication of the data. This would help to articulate more clearly the trajectory of vertebrate change due to the relative effects of stocking rates compared with wider landscape environmental changes. Given the increasing focus on pastoral development in northern Australia, any opportunity to incorporate the collection of data on biodiversity into grazing manipulation experiments should be taken for the assessment of the effects of land management on faunal species.

Effects of grazing method and fertiliser inputs on the productivity andsustainability of phalaris-based pastures in Western Victoria

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Chapman ◽  
M. R. McCaskill ◽  
P. E. Quigley ◽  
A. N. Thompson ◽  
J. F. Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Fertility Treatment ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Rotation Length ◽  
Western Victoria

The effects of combinations of different fertiliser rates and grazing methods applied to phalaris-based pastures on an acid, saline, yellow sodosol on the Dundas Tablelands of western Victoria (mean annual rainfall 623�mm) were measured from 1997 to 2000. The objective was to help identify management systems that improve phalaris growth and persistence, water use, and animal production, and thereby the productivity and sustainability of grazing systems. Pastures were either set stocked with low [mean 6.4 kg phosphorus (P)/ha.year] or high (mean 25 kg P/ha.year) fertiliser rates, or rotationally grazed with high fertiliser (mean 25 kg P/ha.year). Rotational grazing was implemented as either a simple '4-paddock' system (fixed rotation length), or a more intensive system where rotation length varied with pasture growth rate. Unreplicated paddocks of volunteer pasture (dominated by onion grass and annual grass weeds) receiving an average of 8 kg P/ha.year were also monitored. All treatments were stocked with spring-lambing Merino ewes. Stocking rate was an emergent property of each treatment, and was driven by pasture quality and availability. Total pasture herbage accumulation ranged from 7150 to 9750 kg DM/ha.year and was significantly lower on the set-stocked, low-fertility treatment than on all other treatments. A significant treatment.day effect in the spline analysis of herbage mass was explained by a trend toward higher pasture mass in the rotationally grazed treatments than set-stocked treatments from the break of season until mid-spring. Rotational grazing led to significantly higher phalaris herbage accumulation than set stocking (mean 3680 v. 2120 kg DM/ha.year), but significantly lower subterranean clover herbage accumulation (1440 v. 2490 kg DM/ha.year). Despite the stronger growth of deep-rooted phalaris in the rotationally grazed treatments, maximum soil water deficits at the end of summer differed only slightly between treatments, with the difference between driest and wettest treatments amounting to only 14 mm. Summer growth of phalaris was apparently insufficient to generate significant differences in soil water extraction at depth, even when phalaris content was increased by rotational grazing, and re-wetting of the soil profile occurred at a similar rate for all treatments. Rotationally grazed treatments supported higher stocking rates than set-stocked treatments at high fertiliser rates (mean 14.9 v. 13.7 ewes/ha), but apparent losses in pasture feeding value due to lower legume content under rotational grazing meant that there were few significant differences between treatments in lamb production per hectare. The experiment showed that grazing method can have a substantial and rapid effect on pasture botanical composition. There are clear opportunities for producers to use temporal and spatial combinations of set stocking and rotational grazing to manipulate herbage mass and pasture composition within broad target ranges for achieving both animal production (e.g. high per-head animal performance) and sustainability (e.g. persistence of perennial grasses) objectives. Rigid application of either set stocking or rotational grazing imposes limitations on both pasture and animal production, and neither grazing method will optimise system performance under all conditions. The experiment also demonstrated that management and land-use changes that have much greater potential to increase water use than those examined here will be needed to ensure the sustainability of pasture systems in the high rainfall zone of western Victoria.

The utilization of irrigated pastures by dairy cows. I. A comparison of rotational and strip grazing

1959 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Freer
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Grazing Season ◽  
Average Production ◽  
Strip Grazing

1. An experiment was carried out from 1 August 1953 to 31 July 1955 to compare strip grazing with rotational grazing on the basis of the total animal production obtained from dairy cattle on irrigated pasture.2. The same overall stocking rate was used for both treatments. Herbage surplus to grazing requirements at any time was conserved as hay and fed back to the appropriate group of cows at the end of the grazing season.3. The aim was to manage the area under each technique as efficiently as the technique permitted.4. The average production from the rotationally grazed group during the main pasture season of 260 days was 8740 lb. milk per acre (including 354 lb. of butterfatand 766 lb. of solids-not-fat) and from the strip-grazed group 8867 lb. milk per acre (including 358 lb. of butterfat and 766 lb. of solidsnotfat).The average weight of pasture nutrients utilized per annum by the rotationally grazed group was 5887 lb. starch equivalent per acre and by the stripgrazed group 5896 lb. starch equivalent per acre.None of the treatment differences in animal production was significant.5. The differences between the results of this experiment and those obtained by other workers are discussed.

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